I know!!! I was discussing this with a buddy of mine earlier, and he said "Can you just *imagine* the free samples that they must receive from companies competing for shelf space in their stores?" The mind boggles....

I'm curious to give this rum a try. My initial reaction was that it'll look good on my shelf. I'm wary of the need to differentiate via (admittedly) nice packaging rather than by taste. But I'll reserve any real judgement until I taste it this Sunday at Tonga Hut's Rum Rhum Club and compare it to other $30 bottles of rum.

Pity about the name though. No need to conjure the ghosts of jam bands past.

We sampled Deadhead Rum neat and in 2 cocktails at the last Rum Rhum Club at Tonga Hut. It's an attractive bottle housing a pretty good amber rum. It's a light gold color in the glass, and my first impressions when sipping it was that it reminded me of a Dominican rum...crisp and dry, with a smooth finish that seems quick, but lingers a bit with a small amount of heat. There was a bit of vanilla aroma to the rum in the glass. I'm not great at picking out particular flavor aspects but I had in my notes from the session that it had characteristics of a spiced rum without tasting like a true spiced rum. I was surprised to hear Forrest tell us that this was a pot-stilled rum because I so closely associate pot-stilled rums with Jamaican rums and their tendency to have a certain funk that this rum did not have. Deadhead is a rum from Mexico, barrel aged for 6 years.

As for mixing it in cocktails, I think it would provide an interesting challenge. Because it closely resembles a Dominican rum, and I have little experience trying to mix with that style of rum, I think it would be a tough nut to crack at first...taking away some of that dryness without losing what makes the rum what it is. Of the 2 cocktails we tried, I found the second one more to my liking. It was mixed with citrus and a tamarind chile syrup.

I enjoyed sipping this rum neat and will continue to do so once I procure a full bottle. Who knows, once I have a bit more practice mixing with a rum of this type I may even try it in a cocktail of my own.

On 2013-02-17 18:18, Tikiwahine wrote:So I guess it's a lower shelf mixing rum.
Who cares when you have a bottle this cool? I must have one! I wonder if they'll be available in Canada?
If anyone is interested in doing a swap, PM me!

I'm not just another pretty face in the crowd. I am a rum born from a blend of molasses and fresh sugar cane juice, then I am slowly fermented and double-distilled in pot stills. I am charcoal filtered prior to being matured in sherry casks for a minimum of 6 years. In contrast to my rather ugly face, my spirit is a genuine thing of beauty. I have a rich amber hue, an impossibly light body and a bouquet saturated with the aromas of coffee, chocolate, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg, all of which carry through to the palate along with the flavors of cloves, anise and caramel. My long, spicy finish seals the deal. At 80 proof, I am skillfully balanced between dry and semisweet. I have been weighed, I have been measured and been found wicked good -- earning a silver and gold medal for the spirit in my tsantsa.

I have never been able to sip rum straight before...until I got a chance to drink this Deadhead Rum at Tonga Hut. It was delicious. Really enjoyed the rum straight and of course in the 2 amazing cocktails Marie dreamed up (esp the chili/tamarind one--holy crap that was divine!)

Thanks for the tasting and for giving us the sample bottles AND the chance to buy the bottles from you direct.

The dreaded OLCC (Oregon Liquor Overlords) has Deadhead Rum listed - one 750ml variety (no details which one but the list is over $40) and the 50ml size - for March, but haven't seen any on the shelves yet. Anybody happen to know if All-Star Liquors has it in stock on the Cali border? I need to make a run anyway to get 1.75s of Appleton V/X, Mt Gays, some El Dorados not sold in OR, etc...

On 2013-03-04 21:04, Coffee Pirate wrote:The dreaded OLCC (Oregon Liquor Overlords) has Deadhead Rum listed - one 750ml variety (no details which one but the list is over $40) and the 50ml size - for March, but haven't seen any on the shelves yet. Anybody happen to know if All-Star Liquors has it in stock on the Cali border? I need to make a run anyway to get 1.75s of Appleton V/X, Mt Gays, some El Dorados not sold in OR, etc...

Deadhead will be available in Oregon in a couple of weeks. In California, the only stores up north are Bevmos. By the end of the month, Deadhead will be available in Canada (Alberta), NV, PA, OR, TX, IL, OK, NJ, New Zealand and Japan. Please email me directly if you need more information through the Deadhead website Thank you all for your support!

Deadhead will be available in Oregon in a couple of weeks. In California, the only stores up north are Bevmos. By the end of the month, Deadhead will be available in Canada (Alberta), NV, PA, OR, TX, IL, OK, NJ, New Zealand and Japan. Please email me directly if you need more information through the Deadhead website Thank you all for your support!

Umm, it's already in NV. I bought some 2 weeks ago. Good stuff. looks good on my shelf too.